There aren’t many eyes on Illinois with Hillary’s lead here insurmountable and Tammie Duckworth heavily favored to oust Mark Kirk, but on the way to the gym this afternoon, I saw something I haven’t seen in my neighborhood through three previous Presidential election cycles — hundreds of people in line for early voting at the Merlo Public Library in East Lakeview/Boystown!
The polls here are always well-staffed and well run, and I’ve never seen a line out the door of the library much less snaking down two blocks and around the corner! People here tend to vote in high proportions, so this is tremendous, after all the drivel about lack of enthusiasm for Hillary.
Tonight, when I was driving by the corner of Belmont and Broadway around 8 p.m, the line was even longer! I’ve talked all through election season with friends and coworkers, and everyone has been freaked out about this election for months. Even as some have pointed out that she’ll win Illinois easily and we don’t need to vote for her to win, consensus is we HAVE to vote to be counted as insurance against the unthinkable.
So, what’s up? Is the “hidden” Trump vote coming out in this liberal bastion, or has Donald Trump awakened a sleeping giant? To me, it looks like a tsunami is about to wash the Republicans out of the Senate and maybe even the house as I have seen reports of huge voter turnout across the country. If we vote, we win! Get out the vote!